I am the owner of a 2004 supercab FX4 with the big wheels. I noticed after a few times driving it that there was a slight vibration in my truck just as I started off. I took the truck in and after two days of looking at it they said that Ford engineers wanted to come look at it as someone else had complained about it. The engineers said they needed to go back and look at something or the other and they would let my dealership know what to do when they got back to them. In the meantime, my dealership made me pick the truck back up unfinished. I get a call a few days later updating me on the situation and they say that they have found the occasional truck that is still on the lot with the same problem. Ford is working on a fix but they haven't given me a time line and I am really upset over the situation. I love the truck but I can't help but feel that I'm getting the run around. Has anyone else had the vibration problem with their truck? My recommendation to anyone thinking about buying a new one is to drive the one they sell you before you take ownership of it. If it has the vibration do not accept it. Ford is working on it and i'll bet we eventually see a recall for it. Anyone that has this problem please respond.

 

I have the same problem it feels like it is the transmission having a rough engage off the start. I get it about 75% of the time when starting from a stop. I haven't contacted anyone about it seeing I just haven't had the time. Do you have a number I could call to get my truck added to the list? I have a feeling it will be a new trany or a replacement of some of the parts. Very similar feeling to the trany problems I had in my 99 honda accord which eventually became a recall but didn't surface until 33K miles.

 

I think it is just a characteristic of the truck, it dosen't feel like it is anything bad. No if it gets worse I would be worried. But that is just my opinion.

 

Guys,

I've had two test drives and one of the most amazing things has been how smooth the shifting is on these trucks. If you are seeing something different I would say it is definitely cause for concern!! My FX4 is in the slot, so I hope I don't have the same issue.........

 

It did't exist for the first 250 miles and then it started to occur I'm brininging it in Tuesday and I am keeping an eye on it to see if it gets worse.

 

I am getting vibration when I take off also but, it's only when my steering wheel is turned as I eccelerate. It just started doing it at about 1000 miles & 3 weeks old. anybody else having this problem?

 

You all are scaring me now.... should I really wait 3 month to get potentially defective truck from the manufacturer that has no idea how to find/fix the problem??, and I am going to spend 35K???

hmmmmm

You are scaring me now...

 

Thanks for the reply guys. I don't feel so alone now. I would definitely report the problem if you have it. I am hopefull they will fix it, but the more pressure we put on them the better. I truly love every aspect of this truck and do hope they come up with a fix because i will fight them if I have to. I don't want to, don't get me wrong, but I didn't pay $36,000 for a truck that vibrates from takeoff. I want what I paid for, and they said they were giving me, a flawless truck. That was what they were putting out in the media, that this would be a flawless rollout for the redesign. Already, they have had to replace my six disc Audiophile radio and my outside air temp is always about 20 degrees low. As consumers we have an obligation to make them fix their problems.

I want it known that even with this problem that I DO LOVE MY TRUCK.

 

just got back from the dealer, looks like my rear end is shuttering, whatever that means. They put some kind of additive in it and told me to put about 1000 more miles on it and see if it goes away. guess I,ll have to wait and see what happens next.

 

The customer satisfaction survey is the best way to get a response out of them..I had a 2000 Lightning with the front end clunk. I took it to the dealer several times, with them just screwing around and not fixing the problem. But when I got the survey and said I was so upset with the problem I would never buy another Ford product, the VP of the dealership called me up himself and they did their best to satisfy me. In the end, I found the answer HERE, took it to them, and they fixed it for me. Ford may have some bugs in newly designed vehicles, but they listen to every complaint and try to make you heppy. It's one thing to produce a bad product, it's another thing to not care that you have done so. At least Ford will make it right

 

Young, that additive was probably friction modifier for the limit slip rear end. Limited slip shutter would also account for your's only doing it while turning some.

I think the manual says add this stuff when you change the lube also.

It would be nice to hear that this is the problem for all these post. Much better than a transmission fix.

 

Hi -
I posted a concern last week about the same thing with my '04 FX4 truck. My dealer was on the subject of the rear end pinion angle being off, but my local Ford Zone rep. from Buffalo, NY said that the shudder is not detrimental to driving the truck! A nice
customer oriented answer to say the least! Now others are seeing the same problem. Anyhow, I calculated a spacer thickness to add and subtract from the rear axle housing, and 'moved' the pinion angle down 2.5 degrees , and tried it with no difference. I then moved it 2.5 degrees in the opposite direction with no change. This now brought me to the tires as a
possible cause-
The tire concerns center around the Goodyear 18" LT tires that were on the truck . From the get-go, I noticed the tread on the rear tires was 'rolling' like an eraser; almost looks like you were trying to do a burn-out with them. If you roll your hand around the rear tires circumfrentially, you can feel this -smooth in one direction, and rolled up in the other. The dealer never saw this before, so they rotated the rear tires to the front. After less that 100 miles, the tires on the rear are both doing the same thing! The tire dealer thinks that these tires from Goodyear are not matched to the truck, and may be actually 'rolling-up' when you first accelerate and cause the initial vibration/shudder on take-off. The truck only has 800 miles on it by the way. My dealer is trying to call Ford monday to find out what tires we can replace these with. It would be interesting to know if any of you out there have these Goodyear LT 18" tires, and have the same problem that I have with them. I may add that these tires also make the whole truck shake/shudder when going over any bumps in thr road- feels like a rumble wagon!

 

I started this thread about the shudder and have those exact tires. I did post a new thread about a possible fix that ford engineers have tried with other trucks and say it has fixed the problem. check it out and please let us know what happens with your tire change.

 

First off, anyone who's ordered their truck and may seem nervous about it, don't be nervous. I LOVE THE TRUCK. Mine has about 3100 miles on it, I also have the shuddering which I am going to have checked out at the first oil change, this week. I too have noticed the odd wearing of the 18" Goodyear tires and suspect that is a lot of the shuddering problem. I notice a little vibration while on the highway too. Most of my shudder comes when taking off and turning at the same time, which also leads me to thing limited slip rear.

I'm sure the problem will be fixed, whatever the problem turns out to be. This is a new design truck, so you have to expect some bugs. I myself don't mind these kinds of bugs. I still love the truck and don't regret buying it for one minute. My old truck was a 1987 F150 4x4, and had 226,000 miles on it when I sold it. I was the only owner, and put 220,000 miles on the original clutch, so I definitely trust Ford.

 

I just dropped off my truck this morning with the same problem. I will let you know the results.